Opportunities for U.S. military personnel with the Australian military. From the Stars and Stripes.

Now that the most recent wars against Islamic aggression are winding down, the benevolent government is cutting back the military. True, it forces a lot of good people out on the street at a time when jobs are nonexistent, but hey, that kind of thing has never bothered the denizens of D.C.

Stars and Stripes will be familiar to anyone who ever served in the last 40 years, at least. This article is from that paper.

I applied for emigration to Australia back in 1994 but they are very, very tough on letting non Australians come live there. Good thing, too, or they'd have wound up like we are now, pressing "1" for English.

They sent me a very polite letter inviting me to come visit, but also saying they had enough native Australians with similar skills so my coming there permanently wouldn't work out. I understood and it made sense.

What a sterling opportunity this would be for some young man or woman who is getting caught up in the reduction in force.

The biggest differences between Oz and the US are no semi automatic rifles and no open/concealed carrying of pistols. Pistols are stringently regulated in all of the states and only members of pistol clubs can own one (unless you are belong to a Rebel motor cycle gang or are a Lebanese gang member, than you can have as many Glocks as you want!)

No restrictions on bolt action or lever action rifles, back when the gun laws changes (post Port Arthur) a lot of people who had grandads old .303 or .22 in the back of the cupboard opted to surrender them rather than get them registered. Any one with a valuable collection could join a collecting club and either get a collectors licence or a normal shooters licence for their firearms.

The Sgt. had a nice collection of semi-autos, including an L1A1. But he has a good job and a family, too. I think in Australia there isn't the same anger against the government that so many of us (like me, and you) have. I won't ever register mine either, nor give them up, but I can see why people made that decision. My own brother had some guns that were on the list when the Peoples Democratic Republic of Kalifornia banned them. He gave them to me rather than turn them in, but he didn't try to keep them because he didn't want to wind up under the jail house.

Man, I bet when you were in the Army you got "not observed" on all your fitness reports under "tact." ;-)

Tact is a luxury only those a bit older than my generation had. Tact was what those who were suppose to look out for us poor generation X'rs used to hem and haw around actually looking at the social problems they were creating. Tact is what makes people turn away or refuse to address the realities that are killing us. Tact is why most of my life was spent constantly at a disadvantage while every other race/gender combination was given "extra points" to compete. I saw tact destroy better men than me over and over again.

Nope I got no use for it thank you very much. Most times tact is simply another word for lies.

Interestingly enough though I was reading an article about that very thing yesterday. It seems in the tact and PC department the truth is the younger generations Y and millennial's (sp) have even less of it than we gen X'rs do.

Unfortunately after Port Arthur registration was always going to happen In Australia although we managed to stop all of the extreme measures that the anti gun loonies were advocating. The firearms culture has always been different here and they have always been regulated to some degree, even going back to the 1800,s.

Harry is right, even after years of suffering under a socialist Labor government that almost ruined our country there was plenty of opposition to the Gov. but never the sort of anger that I see voiced in many US blogs. At the end of the day the conservative opposition parties in Australia convinced the public that they were worthy of winning Gov. and they were returned in a landslide and already have made a difference, such as stopping the illegal boat immigrants from Indonesia. To be frank, it is hard to imagine the anger that is expressed by many of the blogs I read, more than one is predicting or even calling for seccession of parts of the US and a new civil war. As a "foreigner" I find this hard to understand, maybe that's because of the different way that Australia was settled and the states became a nation, The Commonwealth of Australia.

PP, a certain amount of politeness is often conducive to an open exchange of views. If you come at somebody in a very aggressive manner, they'll just decide they don't want to talk and that will be the end of the conversation. That's what I meant. Keeping it on a certain level of courtesy doesn't mean you can't disagree or express your views.

I know you're a decent person so it doesn't bother me that you're pretty direct sometimes. But people who don't know you might be put off and then you lose the benefit of what you might learn.

Sgt. There are so many differences between the people who live in the South, and the people who live in places like New England, California, NY, etc, that they just don't have much in common. I could write a book on why that's so, but I guess plenty of other people have already. It would be hard to understand if you weren't from here, I know.

Harry - Direct is not impolite. Since there is no tone involved I cannot see how stating the facts and just the facts can be taken in anyway but neutral and matter of fact. I don't think that is impolite. Other opinions may vary I guess.

And Yes Sgt. Many of us are calling for secession. In fact I will go so far as to claim it is inevitable at this point. Secession or the complete death of our way of life and many hope the eradication of European Males. Many out there still have the luxury of ignoring the inevitable and pretending it will all be fine but I have seen where the liberals want to take this with my own eyes and someday so shall the one's who don't want to talk about it.

Economy is pretty strong and now we have a new PM ( Tony Abott) and a conservative government not afraid to make hard decisions to get our budget back into surplus the future is looking much brighter. GDP is growing at about 3.5% and unemployment is 5.8%. There is going to be a big increase in Defence spending as Australia is having to take an increasing role in the South West Pacific to counter the Chinese and Indonesia presence in the region.

My Mom had a friend who's Son was sent there for a while when in the service. He hated it. He said that the Australian men are horrible, and the woman are outnumbered like 10-1, so the men are horribly abusive of them. Doesn't sound like a very good place.

I have a friend over there, Tania, who has a blog and she's pretty happy, Kim. She hasn't posted in a while but take a look at "Outback" it's on my blog list.

I worked with Australians on and off in the service, and I liked them. Of course, I'm Southern and in lots of the U.S. people make fun of Southerners for the same things they attribute to Australians. I'd have to ask Tania about how the guys treat women, but if there were more men than women it seems to me the men would have to be nice or they could get no wives. It's an interesting point , and certainly one I've heard before. In fact there are jokes about it, but I can't remember any I can share with a young lady. I wonder if the Sgt can shed some light on it, he's Australian.

Strewth! I wonder what part of Australia he was sent to! I think that is a bit like saying all Americans are gun crazy and will shoot you for looking at them the wrong way. As for the men/women situation, I was just reading an article this week that according to the major online dating sites there is a "Man drought" and women are finding it increasingly difficult to find a partner. The only places I can think of where there is a shortage of eligible women is in Western Australia in some of the mining towns. As for the rest of us blokes please refer to Crocodile Dundee to see what the average Aussie bloke is like and how he treats women. I think Southern gents are the same as us, they just have those cute little alligators to play with.

Kimberly is a very nice young lady, it's just that like most Americans she's not met any Australians. So we get our ideas about you largely from television. Unfortunately, that's not always very accurate or flattering. You remember that show "slap" I told you about? If I based my opinion of Australians on that, it would be more than a little off. I actually think the idea that Australian men are not courteous to their women goes back to World War II, because our notions of "courtesy"were not exactly the same as the Australians when it came to the Ladies. Just little things like pulling out their chairs and opening doors. The books that "Pacific" was based on both mentioned that Australian ladies seemed to really appreciate that. Now, 60 plus years later, I guess Americans still have that thought.

Here's a joke I remember hearing about Australians. A bunch of people are on an airplane, flying to Australia. One of the engines begins to miss, and the pilot comes on the intercom and says "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are going down into the ocean, please prepare for a forced landing at sea." Everyone is terrified. A young woman stands up and says "oh, My God! We're all going to die. Won't one of you men make a real woman of me before we perish?" An Australian man stands up, and says "I will, Sheila." He tears off his clothes, throws them to the girl, and says "wash these." See what I mean?

If there's a man drought, I wonder should I reapply to come live there? Probably not since I wouldn't come off so well when compared with the bronzed life guards we see on advertisements here. Of course, I also read the Lebanese were beating up the life guards, so who know?

But how to do it?

“The worst evil which befalls our race is, that when we are wronged and plundered, all the world laughs around, and we are compelled to suppress our sense of injury, and to smile tamely, when we would revenge bravely.”

― Walter Scott, Ivanhoe

Sooth

"I certainly do not wish to live in a society dominated by blacks, Mexicans, and Orientals. Look at Africa, Mexico, and Asia."

Edward Abbey

Moon Phases

Practical News

Edward Abbey

"It might be wise for us, as American citizens, to consider calling a halt to the mass influx of even more millions of hungry, ignorant, unskilled, and culturally-morally-genetically, impoverished people...Why not [support immigration]? Because we prefer democratic government, for one thing; because we still hope for an open, spacious, uncrowded, and beautiful--yes beautiful!--society, for another. The alternative, in the squalor, cruelty and corruption of Latin America, is plain for all to see."

Bugging Out. It's fraught with peril.

T-28 : They don't make 'em like that anymore!

Crank that big radial up.

George Orwell

He knew whereof he spoke.

Self Defense

"There exists a law, not written down anywhere, but inborn in our hearts, a law which comes to us not by training, or custom, or reading. A law which has come to us not by theory but from practice, not by instruction but by natural intuition. I refer to the law which lays down that, if our lives are endangered by plots or violence or armed robbers or enemies, any and every method of protecting ourselves is morally right."

Marcus Tullius Cicero 106- 43 B.C.

Ferret and friend.

Ferratus: Little Thief

but good friends

Orwell

Steven Seagal

"There was a time when I thought I was doing a good thing with good guys for a good cause. Looking back, I think I really wanted to be a warrior."

The Magic Ferret

“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot...”

― Robert A. Heinlein, Friday

John S. Mill

Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of character had abounded; and the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigor, and courage which it contained.

Oswald Spengler

"This is our purpose: to make as meaningful as possible this life that has been bestowed upon us; to live in such a way that we may be proud of ourselves...."

Honor

" Everything that is called duty, the prerequisite for all genuine law and the substance of every noble custom, can be traced back to honor. If one has to think about it, one is already without honor."

Oswald Spengler "Thoughts"

Smokey

Elaine Boosler

"When women are depressed, they eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It's a whole different way of thinking."

Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War

At the beginning of an undertaking the enthusiasm is always greatest. And at that time, both in the Peloponnesus and in Athens there were great numbers of young men who had never been in a war, and were consequently far from unwilling to join in this one.

Germaine Greer

"Perhaps catastrophe is the natural human environment, and even though we spend a great deal of energy trying to get away from it, we are programmed for survival amid catastrophe."

Jeff Cooper

"The police cannot protect the citizen at this stage of our development, and they cannot even protect themselves in many cases. It is up to the private citizen to protect himself and his family, and this is not only acceptable, but mandatory."

When seconds count, the police are minutes away.

Or in my case, maybe an hour or so.

Robert A. Heinlein

"I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them."

Careful what you say.

Security

He is best secure from dangers who is on his guard even when he seems safe.(Caret periculo, qui etiam tutus caveat)

Publius Syrus, 50 B.C.

Long Ago and Far Away

A good novel

An interesting book about something no one remembers anymore.

Jared Diamond

If you use a bolt action military rifle, you need stripper clips.

You can still get them if you look.

A useful book

I saw her off the coast of Lebanon.

Nobody will ever see a BB in action again.

Correct on both counts."

"You have to defend your honor. And your family."

Suzanne Vega

T-28 Trojan

My Hobby

A good general guide.

Huey

You can't tell the players without a program.

So many guns, so little time.

The Road

The book is great, and so is the movie.

A little of both.

“Chasing angels or fleeing demons, go to the mountains.”

Jeffery Rasley

Mountains

“Mountains seem to answer an increasing imaginative need in the West. More and more people are discovering a desire for them, and a powerful solace in them. At bottom, mountains, like all wildernesses, challenge our complacent conviction - so easy to lapse into - that the world has been made for humans by humans. Most of us exist for most of the time in worlds which are humanly arranged, themed and controlled. One forgets that there are environments which do not respond to the flick of a switch or the twist of a dial, and which have their own rhythms and orders of existence."

Robert McFarlane

Different Aircraft I have flown

Piper Comanche

T28B and T28C Trojan

T-34B Mentor

TH57- Sea Ranger

UH-1 Huey

TA4- Skyhawk

Cessna T-141

Piper Archer

Piper Arrow

Piper Tomahawk

Cessna 172

Cessna 150

About Me

I am a USMC veteran . I live a quiet life in a very rural county. We have one town, three lakes, a river and lots of forest. My hobbies include reloading, shortwave radio listening, and collecting old military rifles and side arms. I do my own gunsmithing. I flew different aircraft from 1972 through 1995, at which point I couldn't pass the flight physical anymore. I have worked or lived in 36 foreign countries.